Melissa Fiss

Position:
Free/Fly
Height:
5-8
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Matthews, N.C.

Career Best Times: 1:59.88, 200 Fly; 2:14.77, LCM 200 Fly; 55.56, 100 Fly; 4:50.25, 500 Free.

General: A three-time returning letter winner who is a mainstay in the distance freestyle corps for the Tar Heels...is also an exceptional 200-yard and 200-meter butterflier...qualified for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 200-meter butterfly...earned honorable mention All-America honors as a freshman in the 200-yard butterfly at the NCAA Championships...excellent student..carries a 3.141 cumulative GPA.

2000-2001: Had an outstanding ACC meet...took seventh place in the 500-yard freestyle...took a fourth-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly...also placed fourth in the 200-yard butterfly...qualified for the NCAA Championships in three events...placed 18th in the 200-yard butterfly, 32nd in the 100-yard butterfly and 40th in the 500-yard freestyle...named to ACC Academic Honor Roll...made Dean’s List in spring semester.

1999-2000: At the 2000 ACC Championships, she finished fifth in the 200 fly and sixth in both the 500 free and 100 fly with a best time in the 100 fly (55.86)…her time in the 100 fly put her ninth all-time among UNC’s best…once again had the teams’ top time in the 500 free.

1998-99: Had the top time on the team in the 500-yard freestyle at 4:50.25, in the 1000-yard freestyle at 10:02.21 and in the 200-yard butterfly at 2:00.21...captured the ACC championship in the 200-yard butterfly...also finished second in the 500-yard freestyle and fourth in the 100-yard butterfly...All-ACC selection...earned honorable mention All-America honors by finishing 16th at the NCAA Championships in the 200-yard butterfly at 2:01.14...also finished 36th in the 100-yard butterfly at 56.72...finished 17th at the 1999 U.S.S. Nationals in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 2:17.84.

Prep: Graduated from Providence High School in Charlotte, N.C. on June 5, 1998...swam three years for her high school team and five years for the New South Swimming club...was the 1996 junior national champion in the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly events...at the 1997 United States Swimming spring senior nationals, she finished seventh in the 200-meter butterfly...in the summer of 1997, she finished eighth in that event at the United States Swimming senior nationals...was a North Carolina All-Star swimmer...holds the North Carolina state record in the 200 butterfly.

Personal: Given name is Melissa Raye Fiss...nicknamed "Fissy"...born February 3, 1980 in Charlotte, N.C....is the daughter of Ned and Cindy Fiss...has one brother and one sister...hobbies include skiing and shopping...once broke her collarbone while skiing at age 16...athlete she most admires is Michael Jordan...majors in business...would like to become an accountant.